As we reported a few weeks ago, VC firm Lightbank is looking to expand its investments beyond Chicago. The VC firm started by Groupon seed investors Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell is announcing its second location in the Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan. → Read More
There’s a lot of talk about disruption in the venture capital world. We’ve discussed at length the shift that many VCs are making from simply writing a check to serving as a hands-on, end-to-end service driven by seasoned operators and former founders.
Chicago-based Lightbank, the VC firm started by Groupon seed investors Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, have a similar approach but with one… → Read More
When Instagram was bought by Facebook earlier this spring for $1 billion, one question lingering on everyone’s minds was how much VC firm Andreessen Horowitz made on the deal. The firm had made an early investment in the photo sharing startup but then bet against it after Instagram’s pivot by later by supporting a rival.
A few days after the Facebook-Instagram acquisition was announced, the… → Read More
Mobile gaming company SkyVu Entertainment has raised an undisclosed amount of funding led by Lightbank with Nextview Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Michael Chang (former CEO of Greystripe), and the Nebraska Angels also participating. This marks SkyVu’s first round of institutional investment and Lightbank’s first investment in mobile gaming.
The Nebraska-based SkyVu is best known for its… → Read More
When we last heard from 12Society — the stealth startup described as a “guy-focused lifestyle platform built on the intersection of culture, technology and commerce” — San Francisco Giants’ starting pitcher and World Series Champ, Tim Lincecum, had just joined as a co-founder. At the time, the team said more “big name” co-founders were on the way, and, today, the startup made good, announcing… → Read More
I’ve always heard that stores and retailers are willing to barter with customers on pricing, including many chains, but I never have the courage to actually haggle with salespeople. To be honest, I love the discounts but am really bad at haggling for a price. Now, with the launch of oBaz, I can simple get the new service to do all my haggling for me. Chicago-based oBaz is announcing that… → Read More
After backing Babbaco, Lightbank is making another investment today. The investment firm has funded myRete, the developers of WhosHere,a location-based mobile social network. This is the first outside investment for myRete.
WhosHere is a location-based social networking application (an iOS app for now) that allows you to see who’s in your near location and message people. The app introduces a… → Read More
OpenChime, a startup that allows users to get online quotes and information from an array of local service providers, today announced that it has raised $700K in seed funding from Lightbank, the Chicago investment firm started by Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell. OpenChime was apparently discovered by Lightbank Partner Paul Lee and represents his first investment since joining… → Read More
Lightbank, the investment fund of Groupon co-founders Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky, is announcing its first partner hire today—seasoned media and technology venture exec Paul H. Lee.
Lee is joining Lightbank from Playboy Enterprises where he was Managing Director and Group Head of the company’s digital ventures group. Prior to joining Playboy, Lee was a Senior Vice President for the… → Read More
Sprout Social, a provider of social relationship management services not be confused with Sprout Inc, Sprout or Sprout, has received a Series A round of funding from Lightbank, the recently launched investment vehicle created by Groupon founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell. The terms of the investment deal were not disclosed, but Lightbank typically invests less than $1 million. → Read More
Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, two of Chicago’s best-known tech entrepreneurs, plan to invest as much as $10 million annually in early-stage technology companies through a new fund dubbed Lightbank.
The goal is to provide early-stage startups with seed financing, ranging from 100k to $1 million and fund companies with up to $10 million on an annual basis for the next 10 years. In addition to… → Read More
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